Twisted Sister's Dee Snider is still 'Not Gonna Take It' but counts family first these days

One of the baddest, most versatile and unapologetic heavy metal rockers, and lead singer of the band Twisted Sister, Dee Snider, is coming to the Wellmont in Montclair for a solo show on Nov. 2.

Snider is the frontman for Twisted Sister, best known for the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock," from the 1984 multi-platinum album "Stay Hungry" and their outrageous videos for those songs that were a staple of early MTV.

The 62-year-old rocker is originally from Astoria, Queens. He is a singer, songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality and actor. He happens to be familiar with Montclair, as Twisted Sister’s original bass player, Kenny Neill, is from town.

For those who saw him in the '80s, what’s different now? Snider joked that he doesn’t throw himself on the floor quite as much. That said, fans often don’t see much of a difference in his shows. According to Snider, people are saying,  “He still has got the passion and the fire that we expect of him.”

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At the Wellmont he will be playing, among other things, music from "We Are the Ones," his third solo record. 

“Of course I’m playing some favorite old stuff. I feel like I would literally be tarred and feathered if I didn’t. And then I’ve got a surprise in the set as well,” he added.

The Montclair Times wanted to know what makes a head-banging guy happy.

“I’m always trying to get back home. I never stay an extra minute,” said Snider, explaining that his family is number one to him. “Feeling challenged and that I am not stagnating,” came in a close second.

Going solo, Snider says he feels free to do things that he previously wouldn’t or couldn’t do with Twisted Sister. On his new record he covers the Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like a Hole." Also, “I do a piano vocal version of 'We’re Not Gonna Take It.' It really highlights the meaning behind the song.”

As a former contestant on "The Celebrity Apprentice," Snider was arguably a friend of Donald Trump. However, during the past election, he was a Hillary Clinton supporter. Snider has a long-standing reputation for speaking for the people (dating back 30 years when he testified in front of the Senate to fight censorship). Today he says,  “I’m successful and happy… I’m in that 1 percent, but that doesn’t mean there is not a responsibility for me to speak for those who can’t speak.”

As for his party affiliation he said he tries to make the right decision for the right situation.

The song "We’re Not Gonna Take It," was used early on during the Republican campaign. Snider called Trump and requested he stop using it.

“The first line is we’ve got the right to choose. What didn’t you understand?” laughed Snider.

He went on to say he believes in people’s right to choose for themselves, citing several amendments along the way.

Snider calls "We're Not Gonna Take It"  “a multi-purpose song.” It is now sung in the fight against children’s cancer, in Europe to victims of terrorism, and in any situation where people are fighting the powers that be.

When asked about his musical preferences, Snider said early on in the '70s he realized hard rock was really his thing.

“I’m a day one original headbanger. I was there, sledgehammering the Woodstock nation.”

He said perhaps he was an angry suburban kid. He spoke of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Alice Cooper as defining the sound of anger and frustration.

As for the show at the Wellmont, he encouraged his fans to come out, as you never know if and when he would be back in the area.

“I hope my friends come out and spend a night with me and hear some favorite songs, have a great night, create great memories… because I may not be back,” he added.